Tonga brutal in summing up season

Date: July 10 2012

Glenn Jackson

IT'S human nature to respond to adversity with honesty. In the case of Willie Tonga, as he searches for form in a body which has been failing and in a team which has been doing similarly, the frankness is brutal.

''It's the hardest year of my career, by far,'' the Parramatta centre said. ''With injuries, and with the results. With injuries, I've never gone through a year like this, and with results, I've never been in a position like this. But in saying that, we're all going through it, and we've just got to look to each other for confidence, and to get out of this.''

Last year, Tonga was on the Four Nations tour and on his way back to his old club, Parramatta, with high hopes. But the downward spiral began when he damaged his pectoral muscle on the tour of Britain, forcing him home prematurely. That ate into his pre-season and his season, which has had an injury-plagued theme. His latest ailment was an ankle injury.

''(I'm) frustrated more than anything,'' Tonga said. ''The body's coming along. I'm trying to work as hard as I can to be right every week. Under the circumstances … I push hard to get back. I'll just keep working at it.''

It doesn't help, of course, to be personally struggling when those around you are as well. The Eels are last on the ladder, and with a tough run home, they are the wooden-spoon favourites.

They were mauled by Manly last Sunday, and now face the second-placed Bulldogs, who just happen to be Tonga's former club. Yet he maintained there was no residual feeling for the Bulldogs, having left in 2008.

''I don't think there's anyone there that I played with,'' he said. ''It's a different outfit altogether. The players have moved on.''

Tonga knows enough about the Bulldogs, though, to realise a repeat of Sunday's performance against the Sea Eagles - when the Eels trailed 40-0 early in the second half before being defeated 40-24 - would lead to a repeat scoreline, or worse, on Friday night. ''It's more embarrassing than anything, when you're playing the way you are in the first half,'' Tonga said. ''The Dogs are on fire at the moment - we definitely need to turn things around if we're any chance of beating them.''

While disappointment has been the story of his season, his team, strangely, has been offering some promise. The problem is, they tend to do that - by playing attractive and points-garnering rugby league - when they are well behind on the scoreboard.

''It's the story of our season,'' Tonga said. ''It takes a rev-up at half-time to get us going. You can't afford to do that in the NRL. Leading up to the game, it's all positive in the sheds, the boys are good, but … if anyone knew [what causes it], we wouldn't be in this situation.''

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